'Switch' to Milton Park triples workspace for Salience Labs

The company, which has raised over $54 million - including backing from Oxford Science Enterprises - builds on decades of research from the universities of Oxford and Münster.

Salience will use its bespoke 6,700 sq ft R & D facility to pioneer photonic switches that route and manage data traffic more quickly and cost-efficiently.

Traditional switches in data centres rely on millions of conversions between electrical and optical signals, which use a lot of energy and slow down data speeds. Salience’s switches use light to transmit and process data instead of traditional electronic methods, enabling faster and more energy-efficient communication, particularly across complex computing infrastructures such as AI data centres.

Salience’s move to Milton Park has more than tripled its workspace. The fit-out has expanded optical lab spaces to create a dedicated, collaborative environment for its 50+ employees, while the targeted EPC A rating supports Salience’s sustainability goals.

The team are developing optical switching technology in the new space, tackling two of computing’s biggest bottlenecks: latency (delays in response) and energy consumption. By keeping data in light rather than converting it back and forth into electrical signals, the approach reduces delays and lowers the power requirements of large-scale operations.

A spokesperson for Salience Labs says: “At Salience Labs, we’re developing optical switches that unlock higher performance and energy efficiency for next-generation AI infrastructure. As models grow in scale and complexity, breakthroughs in compute and networking aren’t just a nice to have. - they’re essential.

“To develop this, we need a custom-built home, and Milton Park has given us the opportunity to design this from the ground up. It stood out for its fully developed ecosystem, extensive facilities and the capacity to enable future expansion as we grow. We’re excited to tap into the hotbed of talent it enables.”

Home to more than 280 innovative companies, Salience joins a thriving innovation community at Milton Park. They are also the latest company from the Oxford Science Enterprises portfolio to move into the park, including Living Optics and Wild Bioscience.

Other key factors behind Salience’s move included Milton Park’s excellent transport links, with three fast buses per hour to Oxford and easy rail access to London, its strong sustainability credentials and its impressive range of on-site amenities.

At the heart of this amenity offering is Signal Yard, Milton Park’s vibrant new amenity hub which is set to open in early 2026.